Kwansŏ

Kwansŏ 관서·Quan tây
RegionofKorea
Kwansŏ region (blue) in northeast Korea
Country	North Korea South Korea(claimed)

Kwansŏ
Chosŏn'gŭl	관서
Hancha	QuanTây
Revised Romanization	Gwanseo
McCune–Reischauer	Kwansŏ

Kwansŏ(Korean:관서), orGwanseo,is aregionofKorea.It lies in the northwest of the Korean Peninsula, occupied by theNorth Koreanprovinces ofNorth Pyongan,South Pyongan,andChagang,as well as the cities ofPyongyangandNampo.

Name

The name has a number of possible origins. It possibly comes from the name of a region called Kwannedo (관내도;Quan nội đạo), which was west (서;Tây;sŏ) of the Seoul capital area and developed during theGoryeoperiod. Another possible origin is because it was west of a Goryeo-era gateway called Ch'ŏllyŏnggwan (철령관); one writer for theEncyclopedia of Korean Cultureargued the latter theory was more plausible given the region's distance from the Seoul region.

History

Main article:History of Korea

Kojosŏn

Northeast Korea has historically been the homeland of Proto-Koreanic and Tungusic peoples. According to the founding legend,Tangunfounded the kingdom ofKojosŏnin 2333 BCE.It was inhabited by theYemaek,a Proto-Koreanic ethnic group hailing from southernManchuria.Kojoson at its height held much of the northern half of the Korean Peninsula, and its capital wasWanggŏmsŏng(present-day Pyongyang, North Korea).

Chosŏn

Under theChosŏn Dynasty,the modern provinces of Korea were organized. In 1413,Pyŏngan Provincewas established. The historicalEight Provinces of Korea,except forKyŏnggi,were named by taking the first syllable from the province's two principal cities.In this case, Pyong’an was named by taking the first syllable from its two principal cities: Pyongyang andAnju.

Koreans from the northern regions, particularly Pyong’an andHamgyŏng,were severely discriminated against. The region frequently fell victim to drought, famine, and disease.

In 1895,King Gojongimplemented the 23 Districts System, which divided Pyongan into Ganggyebu (강계부, centered around present-dayKanggye), Uijubu (의주부, centered around present-daySinuijuandUiju-gun), and Pyeongyangbu (평양부, centered around present-day Pyongyang). In 1896, just one year later, the districts were reorganized into northern and southern provinces. Uiju and Ganggye districts were reorganized into North Pyongan Province, while Pyongyang district was reorganized into South Pyong’an Province.

Contemporary history

Following the end ofWorld War II,Korea wasdividedat the38th parallel,with Korea north of the parallel being occupied by theSoviet Unionfrom 1945 to the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948. In 1949,Chagang Provincewas founded by land demarcated mostly from North Pyongyang, and partly from a far-west portion ofSouth Hamgyongthat later becameRyanggang Provincein 1954.

Administrative divisions

Main articles:Administrative divisions of North KoreaandCommittee for the Five Northern Korean Provinces

The Kwansŏ region hosts three provinces (도,do), one "directly governed city" (직할시,chikhalsi), and one "special city" (특별시,tŭkpyŏlsi), according to theNorth Korean government.However, theSouth Korean governmentdoes not recognize any changes made by the DPRK to its internal borders, and according to theadministrative divisionsof South Korea, the Kwansŏ region only hosts two provinces:North PyeonganandSouth Pyeongan.

Provinces ( đạo /도)

Province	Hancha	Chosŏn'gŭl	RR	McCune-Reischauer	Abbreviation	Capital
North Pyongan	Bình an bắc đạo	풩안북도	Pyeonganbuk-do	Pyŏnganbuk-do	Pyŏngbuk ( bình bắc /평북)	Sinŭiju
South Pyongan	Bình an nam đạo	평안남도	Pyeongannam-do	Pyŏngannam-do	Pyŏngnam ( bình nam /평남)	Pyŏngsŏng
Chagang	Từ giang đạo	자강도	Jagang-do	Chagang-do	N/A	Kanggye

Provinces according to theCommittee for the Five Northern Korean Provinces

Map	Province	Capital	Governor
	North Pyeongan	Sinuiju	Yang Jong-gwang
	South Pyeongan	Pyeongyang	Cho Myeong-cheol

Culture

Main article:Culture of Korea

The northern regions of Korea have many cultural differences from the rest of Korea. North Korea as a whole still holds traditional Korean culture and values in high esteem, while South Korea, due to its open borders and global popularity, is undergoingglobalization.

People in the Kwansŏ region speak theNorthwest Dialect(서북 방언,Sŏbuk-pang'ŏn).

See also

• Regions of Korea
• Geography of Korea
• Geography of North Korea